Ghost of You
by Circus4APsycho8
Summary: Nate's ghost follows Nora through her quest to find Shaun. One-Shot, also has spoilers to the main quest. First F4 fanfic that doesn't cross over with anything...


**Meh.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Fallout 4.**

The last time Nate had seen Nora when he was alive was in the cryopod. That man and the people in the hazmat suits were trying to take Shaun.

Nate wouldn't let them, thus, he was killed.

. . . . .

They were supposed to live a decent life in the Vault.

Nate wasn't sure if he had ever been more wrong in his life before.

. . . . .

He had had a bad feeling about Vault 111. But it certainly beat being killed by radiation above ground.

Nate should have known.

Shaun was so upset. At the time, Nate had thought it was because of all the strange, unfamiliar and unsettling sounds. But, as time went on in the Vault, where Nate was dead and his wife was re-frozen in the cryopod, he realized that Shaun, despite his age, knew something bad was going to happen. He was just too young to express his feelings and thoughts. Babies could sense emotion of the adults that cared, loved, and raised them.

Shaun was scared of what was to come. Had Nate known that, he'd of never let Nora or Shaun into the cryopod.

. . . . .

Nate was killed. Shaun was kidnapped, and the ghost of Nate had never felt so angry before.

He wasn't alive anymore, but he still wasn't dead yet, either.

When the man with the gun faced Nora, Nate had tried to jump on him. Of course, that didn't work because Nate was only an invisible apparition.

. . . . .

Nate had seen Nora when she was angry.

It was nothing like the murder she had in her eyes when the man looked at her.

. . . . .

Nora had seen the bombs fall.

She had seen her husband being murdered.

She had seen her baby boy being kidnapped.

And, from that moment on, Nate knew that if she were to ever escape this Vault, that man would pay dearly.

. . . . .

She was re-frozen. For how long, Nate wasn't sure.

One day, he surfaced from underground.

. . . . .

The world had changed over the 200 years Nora was in the cryopod. Nate couldn't believe so much could change so fast.

Over time, the neighbors who survived the cryopods died due to lack of life support.

. . . . .

Nora and Shaun were the only ones who survived the wrath of Vault 111.

. . . . .

She awoke one day. The cryopod had malfunctioned, and it opened.

She fell out and onto her knees, gasping and coughing, wearing the dreaded Vault 111 jumpsuit.

Nate had cried out to her. He knew she wouldn't be able to hear him.

She stood, slowly, staring at the corpse of her husband.

Nora had opened his cryopod, tears in her eyes.

"I'm going to find our baby," she had whispered, "I promise."

. . . . .

Nate traveled the Wasteland with her.

She went through some pretty nasty stuff. Nate knew Nora was a strong woman, especially when she had motive.

She killed without hesitation.

She helped people when she wanted.

She murdered when she felt like it.

Occasionally, she'd inhale a puff of Jet, or take a few sips of alcohol.

. . . . .

One day, Nora found Shaun.

Nate was there for that, too.

Nora had been screaming, trying to break the glass that separated her from the synth who resembled Shaun.

And then, Shaun-the real one-had walked in.

"Where's my son?!" She had demanded.

Nora hadn't even recognized him.

Nate didn't either, not until everything fell into place.

But Nora pieced everything together once Shaun told her the entire story.

Shaun...years of being out of the cyropod had made him age, making him look a lot older than Nora.

The two embraced.

That was also when Nate realized how broken his family was, how screwed up the world was.

It hurt, and it made him angry.

. . . . .

They shouldn't of ever had to be put through this misery.

The bombs never should've fell, the family should have never ran to Vault 111 in the first place.

None of this should've happened.

Nate, Nora, and Shaun should have been one small, happy family living in the suburban neighborhood of Sanctuary Hills in the year 2077, raising Shaun with Codsworth.

Yet the bombs had fallen.

And Nate was killed. Nora was forced to live a life she'd of never imagined she would have to live one day. Shaun was raised, practically being brainwashed.

None of it was right, yet it had all happened anyway.

And yet, seeing his wife and son embrace...

...it made him feel more whole than he had in over 200 years.

Nora was broken. It broke Nate's heart that the only reason she was still fighting was for Shaun and Nate.

. . . . .

Nora went back to Vault 111 one day. She sat in front of Nate's frozen corpse and told him about her adventures in the Commonwealth.

He listened to every word she said.

Afterwards, she left, and Nate followed her back to Sanctuary Hills, to their old home, where she kneeled next to Shaun's crib and cried.

. . . . .

One day, while viewing Nora's settlement progress after she had taken care of the Institute, Nate saw the ghost of Shaun walk up to him.

"Father?" He asked.

Nate smiled sadly.

"Hello, son," said Nate, and embraced his beloved son.

"Where is mom at?" Shaun asked.

"She'll be with us soon," Nate assured him, "but for now, you and I have a lot to discuss."


End file.
